Other
by The Frisky Firelily
Summary: She used to be the crazy girl. But that doesn't seem to fit anymore. 4th in the Discovery-verse.


**TITLE: **Other

**DISCLAIMER: **Not mine.

**A/N: **It's nice to see people are enjoying these!

* * *

After Crazy's escapades in the kitchen Jayne was trying to come to some kind of uneasy truce with her. Course it didn't help that he had no idea what she was playing at, only that two people living on a ship the size of Serenity couldn't exactly avoid each other forever.

And it was strange that Inara of all people was the one who convinced him to do it.

He'd been sitting at the table the morning after River's cooking had eased some of the tension he'd been feeling lately when Inara came floating into the galley. He'd given her a nod of greeting that she met with a smile. "Good morning Jayne, how are you today?"

He shrugged. It was rare that Inara spoke to him unless absolutely necessary, and he wasn't sure how else to react. Luckily she didn't seem offended by the lack of communication, but she did sit down across from him after she'd set her teapot on the burner.

He didn't look up from the hunting blade he was carefully sharpening and it was a surprise when she spoke again. "I was wondering how you've been feeling lately?" He looked up. That curly black hair was all perfectly set, her silk dress of royal blue making her look like a queen sitting in their dimly lit kitchen.

He shrugged again. "Fine, an' yerself?" The attempt at politeness made her pause briefly, and Jayne felt almost embarrassed at the idea that such a display was considered so out of character for him. But Inara's gracious smile had set far more uptight men at ease. "Actually I thought I noticed you acting a little strangely lately. Particularly regarding our youngest crewmember."

Jayne raised one eyebrow, careful to keep the surprise off his face. "A body can't be too careful round lil crazy girls who like sharp stuff." Inara nodded. "Yes, I know how you feel about her." He kept his face carefully blank as she continued. "I only ask because I thought maybe if you got to know her better you'd find she wasn't quite as terrible as you seem to think."

Jayne furrowed his brow. "What're ya talkin' bout?" Inara shrugged, even that basic gesture looking elegant when performed by someone so lovely. "She's actually quite delightful." Jayne snorted. "Yeah, _feng le_ gal's usually are. Why you askin' me this 'Nara?"

She stood just as her teapot whistled politely from the kitchen, gliding over to where her cup sat on the bench. "Harmony on board a ship as small as ours is important Jayne, and I think if you look a little closer you'll find there is more to her than just a _feng le_ girl."

She slipped out of the room, only the scent of jasmine and green tea indicating she had ever been there. Jayne looked down at his knife thoughtfully. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to get to know the girl, might help him see her as just another female on board the ship. His brow wrinkled. _'stead o' some creepy succubus._

Inara paused in the hallway outside of her shuttle. Zoe moved from the wall she had been leaning on, both women sharing a conspiratorial smile. The first mate tilted her head towards the kitchen. "You reckon he'll listen?"

Inara nodded. "Not for the reasons he thinks either. He wants to stop considering her as something other than a crazy girl."

Zoe smirked. "He don't know we know about his little crush, does he?" Inara laughed quietly. "I think he doesn't quite believe it himself."

Zoe smiled. "Guess he'll learn soon enough."

* * *

Which was how he came to start seeking the girl out. Even after their moment in the shower room he had only worked hard to avoid her. Which meant he was quite surprised at what he found.

First he noticed her on the bridge with Wash. The girl was curled up in the other pilot's chair, an oversized crimson jumper tucked over her black leggings and bulky boots. She was smiling as Wash told her some story about a time in flight school, complete with dinosaur puppets acting out his words. That was the first time he really heard her laugh. It was a tinkly, sweet sound that had settled uncomfortably in his stomach. She watched his little show with bright eyes and an adoring smile, and the pilot seemed thrilled at his receptive audience.

He'd been reminded of his initial doubts a day later. It had been a bad day; River actually had to be sedated following a dangerous fit in the infirmary. Simon's eyes had looked heavy and miserable, his face tight with tension as her body went limp in his arms. Jayne had come back past the infirmary a few hours later, wondering what the girl was up to.

She was still lying where her brother had placed her on the infirmary bed but she wasn't alone. Zoe was sitting next to her silently, reading a book from the chair she'd brought. Every now and then a groggy River would mumble something quietly, the words even less coherent than normal, but Zoe didn't tell her off or shut her up. She simply nodded, occasionally repeating back the tangled sentence as a question, which seemed to make River relax.

It wasn't that she was doing anything ground breaking or important, but the quiet little scene tugged at his chest. The ease with which Zoe interacted with her said this wasn't the first time the first mate had performed this particular task and she didn't look a bit put out. She simply sat there, providing whatever comfort she could, not forcing River to try to speak coherently, just waiting out the last of the drugs so the girl wouldn't be alone.

When he'd left he couldn't shake the tightness in his chest.

Next he'd seen her in the galley with her brother. Her head was resting on Simon's shoulder as the doctor wrote on a series on notes he'd been working on. Apart from the occasional correction from River the two siblings didn't speak to one another. It struck him that while he knew they were related, this was the first time he'd really seen them be brother and sister. The doctor looked more relaxed than he had in a long time, his legs stretched out, feet resting on the coffee table. One arm was slung over River's thin shoulders, occasionally giving her an affectionate rub but otherwise still.

It was as if the day before had never happened. As if she hadn't been swinging a beaker at the doctor's head barely 24 hours ago.

Jayne had never really thought about what the boy had given up for her until the heist on Ariel. Seeing the man in his element had given him some grudging respect for the doctor, a respect that grew now. Rather than resenting River for needing so much care the boy just took whatever happy moments he could. He circled something with a smile on his face, waiting for River to see what he was doing. The girl giggled at whatever she saw, and they shared a knowing grin. The sight of their easy postures and comfortable silence suddenly made Jayne decidedly uncomfortable, as if he was watching something very private.

Later that same day he, Mal and Book started a game of cards in the kitchen. Since he'd spent so long trying to ignore the girl for various reasons it was strange watching her interact with the crew. When she floated into the room Mal didn't bother raising his head, had just extended one arm to his side. She'd moved there, the Captain giving her a loose hug around her mid-section, not looking away from his cards.

Book had greeted her warmly and she'd given him that special smile that Jayne was starting to wish he saw more often. "And how are you this evening little one?" She'd shrugged, which was apparently enough for Book. In fact the more Jayne thought about it the more he noticed that the crew didn't seem to bother pushing her to talk too much, knowing the words got jumbled and incoherent, just taking whatever they could.

When she'd left the room Jayne felt oddly jealous that he didn't get a special greeting, until he felt a feather light touch on his shoulder as she passed.

The day after he'd heard giggling coming from Inara's shuttle. He knew it was a good day; she'd seemed more lucid at breakfast than she had in a while. The door was open and he'd bent his head around the corner just a bit to see what was going on inside. Inara, Kaylee and Zoe were all seated around the shuttle, small cups of tea in their hands as they observed the ridiculous sight before them.

River had obviously stolen Mal's brown coat from somewhere and was now wearing it with a very serious expression on her pretty face. She looked quite bizarre with her thin black clad legs, big boots and a pilfered burgundy shirt she wore underneath. She paced up and down the room, her voice lower and more accented. "I do the job, I get paid, _dong ma_?" She whipped her head up as if hearing a noise in the distance. "I hear danger. Quick! We shall run towards it!"

Inara burst into undignified laughter, gripping her sides as River ran across the shuttle and jumped, landing heavily on the bed, clutching her stomach. "Oh no! I've been shot!" Even Zoe couldn't help the grin that crossed her face. The impression was excellent, the girl managing to communicate all of Mal's tense posture and heavy Rim accent with ease.

Kaylee rose gracefully, moving to where "Mal" lay on the bed. River widened her eyes, clutching her chest theatrically. "Oh no, such beauty! I am your witless slave, oh fair Saffron."

Kaylee raised an eyebrow imperiously. "Why sir, ya assume far too much. For I ain't merely a scheming wench, I'm also…" She advanced dramatically as she let the pause linger. "An expert tickler!"

And with that the mechanic leapt onto the bed where River was, mercilessly digging her fingers into the younger girl's ribs. That bright, tinkly, slightly maniacal giggle filled the shuttle as the Reader struggled to breath. Inara and Zoe were leaning against each other, shaking as laughter.

Jayne was rocked. There, in front of him, were two beautiful women wrestling on Inara's bed. And instead of feeling instantly aroused he just felt a strange sense of isolation. This easy, familiar, happy interaction was what had been going on in all those months he had tried to ignore the girl. Even before he'd started having these weird feelings about River he had fought to isolate her and the doctor, always reminding them they weren't really crew.

It seemed the joke was on him. All that time he'd been playing at being a bully they'd been slowly adjusting, slowly becoming part of…of what? That wasn't just crew type interaction – it was family. That easy comfort, those happy moments of ridiculousness, the familiar gestures and welcoming smiles.

He walked away from the shuttle quietly, moving back to his bunk.

When he got to his bunk he was so deep in thought he nearly bumped into Mal. The Captain gave him an odd look before narrowing his eyes. "Jayne, you seen my coat?" Jayne shook his head dazedly before opening the hatch to his bunk and dropping down, leaving a very confused Captain behind.

As he lay on his bed he kept thinking. The girl wasn't just tolerated – the rest of the crew actually enjoyed being around her, and he was starting to realise why. She was smart; he'd known that already, but seeing her correct the doc was startling. Even more strange was the easy way Simon accepted her brilliance, never seeming put off or jealous, just appreciating it.

She was funny. That little display in Inara's shuttle had shown him that much, and the fact that even Zoe had cracked a smile at her bizarre behaviour just showed how much the crew welcomed her amusing antics.

She was cared for. Mal's easy comfort in her presence, Book refusing to push her to speak, just letting her know she was welcome. All those things pointed to acceptance, caring, maybe even love. His mind flashed back to a couple of weeks ago, before he'd started noticing her as something other than the crazy girl.

They'd been playing hoop ball in the cargo bay, Simon joining in for the first time ever. The doctor had taken his own lack of skill and the subsequent ribbing with a laugh and a smile. When the girl had floated onto the cat walk Inara, sitting quietly and observing the frenzied game, had encouraged her to participate.

He remembered her shy smile as Wash grabbed her wrist when she was in range, lifting her up and letting her plant the ball in the hoop. She hadn't seemed crazy then, had just smiled delightedly, pleased to have been invited to participate. He'd made some cutting comment that had caused her face to shut down, the girl moving quickly out of the cargo bay while the rest of the crew glared.

Thinking about it now he really couldn't blame them.

She wasn't normal. All the moments of observation had confirmed that. She needed help, needed to be looked after. But between those moments of insanity, underneath all that madness, she was a sweetheart who loved her brother, a funny little thing with a wicked sense of humor, a brilliant girl who seemed to adore her crew mates. And more than that, the feeling seemed mutual.

Suddenly she wasn't just a crazy girl to him, wasn't even just a ruttin' hot female on the ship.

It came to him much later when he realized exactly what she was.

She was River.

And, god help him, she was perfect.


End file.
